Two Malverne candidates vie for trustee seats

Malverne’s special village election will be held on Tuesday, March 20, and residents may cast their ballots at the Malverne firehouse, between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m., for either incumbent Trustee Patricia Canzoneri-Callahan or challenger Carol Hassett.

Patricia Canzoneri-Callahan

Canzoneri-Callahan is running on the Independent Party of Malverne. She is 46 and a lifelong Malverne resident, and she has four children, ages 4 to 12. An attorney and a certified public accountant, she is a partner at Canzoneri & Canzoneri LLP.

Canzoneri-Callahan was appointed to the village board by Mayor Patricia Ann Norris-McDonald last July. She is also a fire commissioner, a member of the Traffic Commission and a liaison to the Youth Board and to the Malverne Tree & Beautification Committee. She is a member of the Nassau County Sewer and Finance Authority and a former member of the St. Thomas the Apostle Board of Education.

“I am part of a subcommittee that was created to draft a new contract for ambulance service between the village and the MVAC, and a lease for the newly completed ambulance facility,” Canzoneri-Callahan said, referring to the Malverne Volunteer Ambulance Corps. “Months of negotiations have led to a contract and lease which are expected to be approved by the MVAC membership within the next few days. I’m proud of the work we’ve done to help provide reliable ambulance service for Malverne residents that is essential to the safety of our community.”

Canzoneri-Callahan was appointed to the trustee position after the sudden death of her husband, Deputy Mayor James Callahan. Having completed the first year of her husband’s four-year term, she is running in a special election for the remainder of the term.

“My husband was instrumental in the open space preservation that will keep the Crossroads Farm a part of Malverne forever,” she said. “Now we have the opportunity to develop property that was generously donated to the village. Jim wanted to build a community center to provide space for our youth, seniors and other groups in Malverne to hold various activities. I want to continue the committee he started to gain input from various residents as a step towards making his dream a reality. My financial and legal experience will allow me to help find ways to affordably build a center for our community, including organizing, planning and financing the project.”

She went on to say that the Board of Trustees “must prepare a budget that complies with the 2 percent tax cap yet still provides high-quality services our residents expect. Malverne is a place we all love, and we must endeavor to provide these services without drastically increasing taxes. There are other properties in Malverne that, like Grossman’s farm, will affect the character of our community, and the board needs to be involved in how these properties are developed.”

“I am honored to be part of the current Board of Trustees,” Canzoneri told the Herald. “Each person brings a unique set of skills to the board that complements each other. We all have our strengths that allow us as a board to achieve great results. We do not always agree on issues, and in the eight months I have been on the board, there have been several healthy debates on various issues. I am proud to be on a board with professionals who respect each other’s points of view and opinions. We listen to all the positions and ultimately act in the best interests of the residents, which is what a trustee must do to honor their fiduciary obligation.

“I want to be elected to the board to serve my community. Malverne is a great place to live, and I want to ensure that it remains that way for my four children. I’ve always volunteered in various organizations, and I have found a position that allows me to make a real difference in my community. I hope the voters will agree that my education and professional experience as well as my dedication make me the best candidate to serve as village trustee for the next three years.”

Carol Hassett

Hassett, a psychologist, has lived in Malverne since 1972. She has served on the boards of many village organizations, coordinating fundraisers and other events, marching in parades, working booths at street fairs, taking part in church activities and more. Her “primary motivator” for running for trustee is that she is determined to get the Malverne Volunteer Ambulance Corps into its new home — a newly constructed building that has been prepared for occupancy for about six months.

“I know that I’m only going to be one vote, and I know that they’re probably going to be solid against me,” Hassett said, “but I at least can be the eyes and ears for the people, for the village residents, so that when somebody says something, there’s [a trustee] who says, ‘Wait a minute, maybe we should at least hear them out.’”

In February, Hassett told the Herald, “My philosophy is different than [the trustees’] because I believe that people who are running for office need to be more a public servant rather than a public official.” She has vowed not to take village benefits if she is elected. She would also donate her village salary — 25 percent each to the ambulance corps, to American Legion Malverne Post 44 and Ladies Auxiliary Unit 44, to Our Lady of Lourdes Church and to her grandchildren for their education.

“I like them personally,” Hassett said of the trustees, “but when they act collectively, they all lockstep, and that’s when you have a problem, because you should always be looking and say, ‘Well, wait a minute, could this be a different circumstance? Could we handle this differently? Is there a better way?’ And that’s all I’m saying. … I know I’m not going to be able to change them, but I can at least report what’s happening.”

“I don’t believe that you should get used to money from a public salary because … then you stay too long,” she said. “I think that you should … go in, accomplish your goals and move along.”

Hassett is president of the Malverne Public Library Board of Trustees and the secretary and treasurer of the Nassau County Psychological Association, as well as a past president of Ladies Auxiliary Unit 44 and a past vice president of the Nassau County American Legion Auxiliary. “I do a lot of things,” she said. “I find keeping busy helps, number one, keep you young and, number two, helps keep you aware of what’s going on so you don’t get stale.”

Hassett does not belong to any party — “I’m running on the common sense party,” she said — but will accept endorsements from anyone who offers them.